Back to Air Transport IT Review - Issue 1, May 2010
Making plans for 'digital aircraft'
Unlocking unparalleled opportunities in aircraft operations
While the air transport industry prepares for the widespread introduction of new generation aircraft, generic IT tools will provide opportunities to optimize existing aircraft operational procedures on-ground and on-board.
From IP-based networks, wireless and mobile connectivity, PC-based cockpit and cabin computers, and more - the introduction of generic IT tools on board aircraft and in their ground systems is having a transformational impact on cockpit, cabin and aircraft-related ground operations.
And just as the Internet has changed the way we do things, so too will these tools. Not only are they expanding the complete aircraft ecosystem, but they are also redefining it in a way that is making formerly isolated processes now part of a much larger continuum.
Enabling better and more immediate information exchanges between stakeholders opens up new opportunities to leverage real time data to improve operational performance. And it introduces new ways to manage and operate an aircraft – reducing human error and providing more operational intelligence, while enabling new levels of service to be offered in the cabin throughout the entire flight.
Drivers for change
With the arrival of IP-enabled aircraft (led by the Airbus A380 and Boeing’s 787 and new variants of the 777 and complete with wireless transmission systems and powerful applications that use them) the air transport community will begin to see aircraft as nodes on their vast IT networks. Just as important is the fact that many existing aircraft can also be retrofitted with these or similar avionics, thereby unlocking an unparalleled opportunity to improve operational procedures across entire fleets.
On the one hand, aircraft IP-based networks facilitate the communications and data processing capabilities of a multitude of aircraft systems, while at the same time allowing them to interact with their ground based counterparts on a scale never seen before.
On the other hand, this aircraft-to-ground interaction requires a suitable means of connectivity, which can be provided by ‘terminal wireless LAN units’, or TWLUs, while the aircraft is on the ground or broadband satellite terminals while in-flight.
These communication avionics provide a broadband link between the aircraft networks and systems and their ground-based equivalents, which may reside in multiple airline departments such as flight operations, dispatch, maintenance, in-flight services and quality.
Game-changing technology
TWLUs vary in capabilities and technology compatibility. But it is important to highlight that although most current “standard” implementations of TWLUs today rely on coverage provided at gates equipped with IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) access points, it is increasingly advantageous to have TWLUs compatible with technologies capable of offering wireless coverage on the apron and taxiways (such as IEEE802.16 [WiMAX] and cellular 3G). This would allow aircraft to exchange large amounts of data anywhere in the airport while the aircraft is on the ground.
In general, TWLUs are used to exchange large quantities of data that are not considered time-sensitive, and whose transmission can be deferred until the aircraft is on the ground, such as trending data, routine flight and aircraft parameters, updates to onboard manuals, loadable software aircraft parts, passenger manifests, etc.
For time-sensitive information (such as flight plan updates, graphical weather or incident-driven transfers) a growing number of onboard broadband satellite systems allow aircraft to communicate using different satellite-based networks.
All of this would be useless if aircraft did not have the means to adequately exploit them. This is where we can expect to see the most important drivers for change, whose potential has barely been tapped. One system in particular is more than a driver for change: the electronic flight bag (EFB) is truly a game-changer in terms of flight and aircraft operations.
Tipping point – integrationThe term ‘EFB’ is somewhat of a misnomer. Not only do these devices entirely replace traditional flight bags filled with paper manuals and charts. They can also process huge volumes of data in seconds. Gone are the days of tabular performance calculations and manual updating of voluminous paper binders.
Today’s EFBs can accomplish these tasks in a single keystroke. As they become increasingly integrated with other cockpit and aircraft systems, EFBs will also begin to serve as electronic logs and checklists, weather displays, messaging terminals, surveillance monitors, and more. By revolutionizing the way information is presented and used in-flight, they represent the ‘tipping point’ that will drive complete integration of aircraft and IT ground systems using broadband connectivity.
The many advantages of the above drivers might suggest a strong and steady migration towards new generation operations. But in reality the extent to which airlines will benefit depends on how each of them implements and exploits new applications, and how successfully they integrate new systems with existing infrastructure.
- Integrating cockpit IT into airline IT environments. Airlines need to tightly integrate cockpit IT systems with their central IT networks. However, cockpit systems pose unique constraints that complicate the integration of Internet technologies incorporated in onboard systems. Some are the direct result of strict regulations governing all aspects of aircraft maintenance and flight operations. Others are the product of assumptions made by airframers in the design of new generation aircraft, which envisioned an environment of ubiquitous connectivity over readily available infrastructure – a situation that is not the case today.
- Using generic commercial technologies. As in other industries, the trend towards using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies whenever possible is pervading the airline sector. Airlines expect new generation cockpit IT systems to take advantage of proven COTS technologies (such as IP, Wi-Fi, satellite broadband, PCs) – with an evolutionary path to future technologies as these become available. However, because generic technologies were not designed with airline operations in mind, adapting them to airline operations while compensating for the unique complexities that characterize the air transport industry is far from straightforward, and can often negate the savings of choosing COTS.
- Flexible yet highly secure communications. The importance of security and data protection cannot be overemphasized in today’s highly-connected aircraft-ground IP environment. Airlines simply cannot afford to import the risks often associated with generic IP ground networks into the aircraft domain. At the same time, new cockpit systems require an environment where communications with airline ground systems and authorized third parties can take place reliably, transparently and securely. For commercial and practical reasons, ground-based systems and passenger cabin applications must also be able to share communications and IT infrastructure while being segregated from critical airline operational communications.
- Robust, dependable services. New systems and applications must not only coexist with current operations services, they must continue to offer dependable airline-grade service that also provides a solid platform for more complex applications. That means being able to operate within the confines of long-standing, rigid procedures, while at the same time accommodating the coexistence of diverse aircraft fleets. Airlines will need to equip aircraft with the necessary avionics while also upgrading ground systems and corporate networks to ensure that bandwidth, security, data protection and authentication are all taken into account.
- Intelligent network services for cockpit IT. New generation aircraft applications using cockpit IT platforms will generate and exchange much greater volumes of data than existing applications, making smarter ways of managing information essential. Airlines need the tools to control how, where and with whom aircraft information is exchanged, in line with their unique business requirements. That includes the ability to prioritize and pre-empt information exchanges to ensure that time-sensitive data is sent ahead of non-critical data, or that non-critical data is exchanged only when the most cost-efficient links (such as wireless links at airports) are available.
Holistic approach
Faced with such an array of complex considerations, as well as the requisite coordination with multiple suppliers and organizations around the world (all of which are in various stages of preparedness) to ensure interoperability across the entire route network, it’s not hard to see why the transition to new generation platforms will demand a coordinated, holistic approach to technology, infrastructure integration and business process transformation
Work is proceeding apace to assess the appropriateness of new communications technologies for aircraft operations and to resolve some of the consequential complications. This includes collaborative, industry-led programmes, such as the European Union’s SANDRA project and through the AEEC EFB User Forum (see texts below).
With next generation aircraft now being delivered and the potential to retrofit IP to traditional aircraft, the introduction of a seamless aircraft communication system will be of paramount importance to airlines seeking to optimize fleet efficiency through the emerging new generation of aircraft operations.
SANDRA - striving for seamless aeronautical networkingSANDRA is the acronym for a European Commission programme 'Seamless aeronautical networking through integration of data links, radios and antennas'.
The €15.62m four-year project, which began last October, is funded under the Seventh Framework Programme. It is fully linked into the SESAR air traffic management programme and includes SITA as a participant. AEEC EFB Users Forum - how to make the most of EFB?The EFB Users Forum was set up to by the Airlines Electronics Engineering Committee help aircraft operators maximize the operational and economic benefit of EFB equipment and services. This includes but is not limited to EFB topics:
The next meeting of the Forum will be hosted by Delta Air Lines in Atlanta on 21-22 April. |
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